The Snuggly Duckling: Under New Management
by AuthorA97
Summary: Part 25: Summer Solstice (fight me- Tangled totally happened during the summer solstice.) Moxie and Doxie run a bar. They talk about their dreams. Not all their days together go wrong, or are sad!


Flynn tapped on his chin. "I know it's around here, somewhere. Ah, there it is, the Snuggly Duckling."

He gestured to a sign ahead. Up ahead, there was a small building.

"Don't worry, very quaint place, perfect for you." Flynn assured. "Don't want you scaring and giving up on this whole endeavour now do we?"

"Well, I do like duckling." Rapunzel agreed. She smiled at Pascal. Her chameleon smiled back.

"YAY!" Flynn cheered.

He pushed Rapunzel inside.

"Garcon, your finest table please!" Flynn called out.

Rapunzel's eyes widened. She felt Pascal tense on her shoulder.

Inside the Snuggly Duckling thugs were strewn about. The lot of them stopped, turning to stare at her. Rapunzel was terrified. She held up her frying pan.

"You smell that? Take a deep breath through the nose." Flynn suggested. Ugh, Rapunzel has been trying to ignore that. "Really let that seep in."

"Agh!" Rapunzel yelped, as she was guided through the crowd of people.

"What are you getting?" Flynn asked. "Because to me-"

"Agh!" Rapunzel yelped as some of hen became _very _close to her.

"-that's part man-smell, and the other part is _really_ bad man-smell. I don't know why, but overall-" Pascal and Rapunzel was a bowl full of lizard legs resembling Pascal's. Her chameleon hid in Rapunzel's hair. "-it just smells like the color brown. Your thoughts?"

Rapunzel yelped. She grabbed her hair, pulling it away from whoever of these men grabbed it.

"That's a lot of hair." A thug commented. The blonde hair ran through his hands- Rapunzel was doing her best to gather 70 feet of hair. It wasn't going well.

"She's growing it out." Flynn excused. "Is that blood in your moustache? Goldie, look at this. Look at all the blood in his moustache. That, sir, that's a lot of blood."

Rapunzel's back hit something. Turning back, she saw another _huge _thug on a stool. He grunted at her touch, making Rapunzel yelp then jump back.

"Hey, you don't look so good, blondie." Flynn commented. He started moving her towards the door. "Maybe we should get you a home. Call it a day. Probably be better off. This is a five star joint after all, and if you can't handle this place, well, maybe you should be back in your tower."

The door slammed shut before they could run out.

Rapunzel stared at who closed it.

"Hello there, son." A woman, far kinder looking than any of the thugs in the bar. She wasn't dressed in dirty rusted armor, or coated in any blood. Her dress was a dark pink, with brown stitching on the corset until the matching brown skirt. She had her hair tied back in a messy bun. "Welcome to the Snuggly Duckling."

"Oh. Um. Hello." Flynn greeted awkwardly. "Actually I think my friend and I were about to leave-"

"-You asked for the finest table. Apologies for the wait, except I'm not sorry. It took work to bring it out of storage." The woman grinned again. She held up a mug, sipping at it. "Ah. Good stuff. You can't leave yet."

"Oh it's not trouble-"

"Nonsense!" The woman waved her hand. "You asked, and you shall receive. It's what I do best." She turned to Rapunzel, giving her an assuring smile. "Hiya there, sugar plum."

Rapunzel swallowed, fearful and confused. "Uh-"

"Hey. Are we gonna-" One thug began.

The woman turned her head towards said thug. Nothing in her expression changed, save for her smile tightening ever so slightly. The thug flinched back, as did the other patrons. "What was that, Dwayne?"

"N-nothing, ma'am." The thug- apparently Dwayne- sat down.

"That's what I thought, Dwayne." The woman turned to Rapunzel. Her golden eyes brightened, gone was any expression she may or may not have shown Dwayne. "Are you alright, you're not looking too good."

"Just- just a little nervous." Rapunzel admitted, glancing around the pub. She winced at the sight of another giant axe.

"But he's the guy!" Another thug yelled. He came up, holding a wanted poster with Flynn's face.

Well _just-about_ his face.

The nose...it was a little big.

"Aw. Now they're just being mean." Flynn complained.

"Ho, ho, it's him all right." A thug with a giant hook stood up. He went up to the woman's side. "Come on, Moxie, let us send out-"

"Greno went out earlier with Doxie." The woman- Moxie- replied. "I have bigger concerns-"

"You just want that reward for yourself!" The hook man argued sternly. He grabbed Flynn by the collar of his shirt. Rapunzel's gripped tightly to her frying pan. "That reward's going to buy me a new hook!"

"I could use the money." Another thug argued. He snatched away Flynn from the Hook-thug.

A large thug grabbed Flynn. "What about me? I'm broke."

Then all the thugs jumped out at him.

Rapunzel gasped in fear.

Moxie sighed, shaking her head. "Why did I send out Doxie with Greno? She woulda stopped this in a second. Course, the only problem would be they'd all be dead...ugh it's so hard making these choices."

"Please, stop!" Rapunzel yelled. She went at the thugs with her frying pan.

"We can work this out." Flynn explained, as he was grabbed and snatched around like a best seller's item on _Black Friday._

"Please, leave him alone!" Rapunzel begged. She smashed the frying pan on a shield.

"Gentlemen, please!" Flynn begged.

Moxie went over, having another bit of her drink. She watched the bar fight with interest. Oh, why oh why did she send her sister away? Doxie would've enjoyed the fight- after it reached pandemonium levels as it did.

"Give me back my guide! Ruffians!" Rapunzel was beginning to show anger now.

"Not the nose, not the nose, not the nose!" Flynn pleaded.

Moxie snorted.

Then, Rapunzel did the greatest thing.

She used her hair, tied it around a tree limb from the tree in the pub, and used it to smack Hook on the head. All the thugs froze, even Flynn stopped his struggles.

Moxie tilted her head. She hummed in interest.

"Put him down!" Rapunzel ordered.

Moxie nodded, impressed.

"Whoa! Okay, I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns because I've been dreaming about them my entire life!" Rapunzel ranted. She reached for her frying pan. Moxie handed it to her. "Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?"

Hook walked towards Rapunzel. The young girl wasn't backing down. The other thugs all watched, silently. One hung up Flynn where he couldn't run away.

Hook raised up his axe. He stopped, a meaningful look on his face. "I had a dream...once."

He swung his axe. Moxie pulled Rapunzel back- just in case. The axe hit the wall above a bard's head. He played his instrument, as Hook began to sing.

"_I'm malicious, mean and scary."_ Hook sang to Rapunzel and Moxie. Moxie rattled her fingers on the bar, leaning back to watch the show with a poorly hidden grin of delight. "_My sneer could curdle dairy. And violence-wise, my hands are not the cleanest. But despite my evil look and my temper and my hook!"_ Hook walked around as he sang, moving closer to a piano. "_I've always yearned to be a concert pianist."_

Hook played on the keys, tapping them elegantly with both his hand and his- well- you know. Rapunzel beamed at him.

"_Can'tcha see me on the stage performin' Mozart? Tickling the ivories 'til they gleam? Yep, I'd rather be called deadly for my killer show-tune medley–"_

Moxie whooped for him, throwing him a flower. It landed on the piano.

"_Thank you!"_ Hook praised. Moxie tipped her head. "'_Cause way down deep inside I've got a dream."_

Moxie burst out singing. "_He's got a dream! He's got a dream!"_ She- along with the rest of the pub- burst out in song.

"_See, I ain't as cruel and vicious as I seem!"_ Hook brought Rapunzel to his side. She stared up at him in wonder. "_Though I do like breaking femurs, you can count me with the dreamers! Like everybody else, I've got a dream!"_

"_I've got scars and lumps and bruises plus something here that oozes."_ Another thug sang, from behind Rapunzel. Moxie rolled her eyes, smiling with good nature. "_And let's not even mention my complexion! But despite my extra toes and my goiter and my nose I really want to make a love connection!"_

Moxie went over to where Flynn was hanging out. She held up a drink. He glared down at her, disinterest.

"_Can't you see me with a special little lady Rowing in a rowboat down the stream? Though I'm one disgusting blighter, I'm a lover, not a fighter 'Cause way down deep inside I've got a dream! I've got a dream!"_

"_He's got a dream!"_

"_I've got a dream!"_

"_He's got a dream!"_

"_And I know one day romance will reign supreme! Though my face leaves people screaming there's a child behind it dreaming!"_ The thug swooned at his own dreams. "_Like everybody else, I've got a dream!"_

Moxie went back behind the bar, handing out drinks to the thugs who sang the chorus.

"_Tor would like to quit and be a florist!"_

"_Gunther does interior design!"_

"_Ulf is into mime."_

"_Attila's cupcakes are sublime!"_

"_Bruiser knits, Killer sews, Fang does little puppet shows!"_

"And Vladimir collects ceramic unicorns!" Hook dragged off. He turned to Moxie. "What about you, Moxie? You got a dream?"

The bartender paused in her drink pouring. She hadn't expected to be asked such a question. A thoughtful look on her face, passing over quickly. It seemed that she had known what it was, only too afraid to say it. But-as if knowing that there was the power of Disney song magic backing her up- she gave it a chance. "Oh boy, do I have a dream."

She clapped her drink down on the bar. The patrons gave her a loud cheer as she got started.

"_My dream is really simple- yet somehow reaching it's been abysmal. I want a place just like _this _where people from all places can be free! They can be the person they always wanted to be!"_ Moxie jumped over the bar, handing out more cups of ale to the thugs.

They cheered for her.

"_It would be a safe haven from all harm, whether running from guards or magic charm."_ Moxie sang on. Her smile went distant, as she paused in front of Rapunzel. "_And no one thinks they're making up schemes. Like any normal folk, I've got a dream!"_

Moxie twirled, ending up in front of Flynn.

"Then yourself, Rider?" Moxie asked.

"I'm sorry, me?" Flynn asked.

"Well. I shared mine. What's your dream?" Moxie asked. She hopped up, plucking Flynn from his hook.

His eyes widened comically. "Uhh."

"Yeah. I can do that." Moxie boasted. "Now sing."

"No, no, no." Flynn laughed. "Sorry _Moxie_, I don't sing."

Moxie tilted her head. She held out her hand, folding it over in command.

Suddenly dozens of swords were aimed at Flynn.

A quick jump had Flynn standing on the bar.

"_I have dreams, like you, no, really. Just much less touchy-feely."_ He reached over, borrowing a tiny unicorn from Vladimir. Flynn continued dancing, pushing down the unicorn on a tiny bowl made to look like an island. "_They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny on an island that I own, tanned and rested and alone-"_

The thugs picked up Flynn by his limbs. They hadn't liked Flynn taking the unicorn.

"_-Surrounded by enormous piles of money!"_ Flynn was tossed in the air. He landed without dying.

Rapunzel climbed up onto a table. "_I've got a dream!"_

"_She's got a dream!" _Moxie sang out with the thugs.

"_I've got a dream!"_

"_She's got a dream!"_

"_I just want to see the floating lanterns gleam!"_

"Yeah!"

"_And with every passing hour I'm so glad I left my tower! Like all you lovely folks, I've got a dream!"_ Rapunzel cheered.

Moxie continued handing out drinks- water or ale. The thugs were tossing them all about in a water show. Honestly it looked _amazing._

"_She's got a dream! He's got a dream! They've got a dream! We've got a dream!" _The entire pub- minus Flynn- sang out. "_So our diff'rences ain't really that extreme–we're one big team–Call us brutal, sick-"_

"-_Sadistic-_"

"-_And grotesquely optimistic"_

"'_Cause way down deep inside we've got a dream!"_

"_I've got a dream!"_

"_I've got a dream!"_

"_I've got a dream!"_ Moxie shouted. "_I've got a dream! I've got a dream! I've got a dream!"_

"_I've got a dream!" _Rapunzel sang.

"_Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" _Sang the mime.

"_Yes way down deep inside, I've got a dream! _Yeahh!"

The thugs let out loud cheers

Moxie ran over, she grabbed Flynn and Rapunzel. She dragged them behind the bar, pushing them down to hide.

Greno stormed in. A woman behind him- exactly like Moxie except the woman's dress had green, and her eyes were purple.

"I found the guards." He cheered.

The woman walked around him. She went up to Moxie. The two met in front of the bar. Moxie gave her a head nod. The woman nodded back.

The Captain of the Guard marched in, his backup knights following behind. "Where's Rider?" He stormed up to Moxie. The bartender was cleaning up a mug with a rag, paying no mind to the loud guards that had rudely stormed in without as much as a single 'hello'. "Where is he?"

Moxie smiled kindly. Her sister sat on a stool, grabbing her own drink. Doxie was aware she'd need one for what was happening next.

"I know he's in here somewhere." The Captain scolded. Moxie shrugged. "Find him, turn the place upside down if you have to!" He ordered his team.

They went about that job.

Moxie hummed. She heard Flynn gasp. She glanced at her sister. The woman nodded, taking her place. Moxie went back around the bar, grabbing him by the shoulder.

She shook her head to the side, telling him to follow. Flynn and Rapunzel crawled towards the duck symbol on the ground.

Moxie pulled on a lever. It opened up the floor.

"Go, live your dream." She told Rapunzel.

"I will." Flynn nodded, smiling fondly as he thought about his dream.

"Not you. Your dream _stinks._" Moxie stated. She smiled at Rapunzel. "You can do it."

"Thanks for everything." Rapunzel gave Moxie as a hug.

They escaped.

Moxie hummed.

She stood up, seeing a thug offer up Shorty to the guards.

"I believe this is the man you're looking for."

"You got me." Shorty laughed, holding up his arms.

"Sir, there's no sign of Rider." A guard from upstairs called down.

Moxie hid her grin behind a mug.

Maximus stormed in.

Moxie looked at him, expressions flat.

"Maximus." The Captain of the Guard greeted, beaming.

Maximus sniffed around. He stopped in front of Moxie.

"Hi." She greeted.

He exhaled through his nose. It sent a burst of warm air into Moxie's face. She smiled on. Horse breath wasn't the worst thing she'd ever smelled.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Moxie." She introduced.

Maximus pushed her aside.

"What's he doing?" Someone asked.

Moxie huffed. She put her mug down, glancing at her sister. The woman nodded- a wide smile on her face.

Maximus pushed down on the lever with the duck. It opened up the escape hatch.

"Oopsie." Moxie shrugged, nonchalant towards the fact that she'd just been exposed for aiding and abetting. She turned to her patrons. "Hook, you're in charge- NOW!"

Her sister threw a knife. It hit the rope for the chandelier, making it crash down on the ground.

When the guards were distracted, Moxie and Doxie ran into the tunnel. They missed hearing Maximus neigh in rage.

"Move!" Moxie shouted as she caught up with Rapunzel and Flynn.

"Moxie? But what-" Rapunzel began.

"Who is that?" Flynn asked, pointing towards the sounds coming from the back down the tunnel.

"Guards!" Moxie warned. "Run!"

The four of them got back to running.

"Rider!" The guard captain shouted.

Flynn yelped, as they ran.

==TSDUNM==

It went much better after that.

Well if your definition of better includes 'not dying'. Then it all went according to plan!

Moxie and Doxie were still drying each other off by a fire. Rapunzel was using her healing hair on a cut on Flynn's hand. Reasonably, the outlaw had been terrified at the display of magic.

Rapunzel had just finished explaining just why she'd run away from home. The magic in her hair was highly coveted, so her mother hid her away in a tower.

Moxie and Doxie knew the truth of it- that Mother Gothel had kidnapped Rapunzel from her true family so as to use the power of the sunflower to remain young.

"Hah. So, Eugene Fitzherbert, huh?" Rapunzel teased the outlaw.

Flynn tried to shake it away with his usual bravado. Moxie and Doxie's snickers were too loud to write it off though. "Uh, yeah. Well. I'll spare you the sob story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert, it's a little bit of a… that's a little bit of a downer."

Rapunzel scooted closer to him, a hopeful look in her green eyes. Moxie leaned forward, a look of interest in her amber eyes. Doxie's purple eyes held a teasing glint.

Flynn succumbed to the idea that at least most of them wouldn't laugh at him. "Huh. There was this book, a book I used to read every night to all the younger kids– '_The Tales of Flynnigan Rider'._" Doxie couldn't stop herself from chuckling. "Swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive, not bad with the ladies, either. Not that he would to brag about it, of course."

"Dude. You could've been _Flynnigan?"_ Doxie teased. "You made a bad choice."

Moxie agreed. Still, on principle, she shoved her sister's arm. Not that it did anything to stop the younger twin. She kept on chuckling. "I think he made a good choice. Otherwise people like you wouldn't stop laughing."

Doxie responded by laughing.

"Hmm. Was he a thief too?" Rapunzel asked Flynn.

"Uh… well, no. Actually, he had enough money to do anything that he wanted to do." Flynn admitted, embarassed. "He could go anywhere that he wanted to go. And, and, and for a kid with nothing, I don't know, I… Just seemed like a better option."

All three women hummed.

"You can't tell anyone about this, okay? It could ruin my whole reputation." Flynn requested from them.

"Ah. We wouldn't want that." Rapunzel teased.

"It would be cruel." Moxie agreed with a nod of her head.

Doxie groaned, flopping about it the dirt. "But mocking you is fun!"

"Well, a fake reputation is all a man has." Flynn explained.

"Then have nothing!" Doxie sighed in exasperation.

Rapunzel turned to the sisters. "What about you two? Moxie, you had an amazing dream, you know!"

Moxie's smile was a bit more embarrassed now. She looked off towards the stars in the sky. Doxie turned to her sister, curious.

"Did she now?" She hopped up so she was practically leaning on top of her sister. "What was it, Mox? Come on! If you can't tell your twin, who can you tell?"

Moxie was actually blushing now.

"It was so cool!" Rapunzel explained to Doxie, full of delight. "She said she wanted to make a safe space for people!" Doxie tensed. "Like a safe haven for people! A lot like the _Snuggly Duckling!"_

Doxie turned to her sister. The ex-barmaid was still looking up at the sky with red cheeks.

Flynn picked up on the embarrassment. He leaned forward. "You know, you don't have to say it." '_Even though you helped dog me into saying mine-'_

"No it's okay." Moxie sunk down to the ground. She leaned against the log behind her. "Doxie and me, we didn't...we didn't have a home. Orphanages just...stopped taking us. Kept booting us out."

Doxie sat at her sister's side. She rested her head on Moxie's shoulder. Her purple eyes were on the fire, watching as the sparks danced on the wood.

Rapunzel's eyes widened in dismay at the tale. She couldn't imagine anyone turning these two aside! They were quickly becoming her friends! Yes they were a bit on the harsh side but they weren't the worst!

Flynn could understand. As a kid who grew up in orphanages, he knew sometimes they had to send kids off. Overcrowding, trouble with the other kids, sometimes even the people of the village talked about any kids who were too odd. Moxie and Doxie fit the 'odd' bill.

"We saw a lot of bad things." Moxie admitted in a soft voice. "I'm- I don't like not being able to fix a problem. I thought- I always wondered why there wasn't a place like- like where grown-ups could hide from other grown-ups. People in trouble, like some of the other kids at the orphanages, before we left. People get hurt everywhere we went, age didn't care. I...I want- I want a place where they can hide and get the help they need. Even I can only be in one place at a time."

Rapunzel reached over. She held Moxie's hand. The ex-barmaid looked down at the hand holding her's, then looked over to Rapunzel.

At the sincerity in Rapunzel's bright green eyes, Moxie felt more words pouring out of her mouth.

"I want a home for people without one." Moxie explained. "For the kids who are kicked out, for the grown-ups with no place else to go, for anyone who just...who think they have nothing. A place where they're not too weird or too far gone. I want them to have a place where they fit in. A safe haven- is that too much to ask for?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "I think it's an _amazing_ dream." She glanced over her shoulder. "Right, Flynn?"

The outlaw- after a quick flick on the ear by Pastel the chameleon- nodded his head. "Yeah. It's- that sounds really cool."

Doxie reached for her sister's thigh. She gave it an affirming squeeze. Moxie reached up, ruffling her sister's hair.

"What about you, Doxie?" Flynn inquired, using his best grin. Doxie raised an eyebrow at him. "Come on! We haven't heard your's yet!"

"I already have everything I want." Doxie shrugged. She didn't see Moxie give a fond exasperated smile at her. "But if you really wanted-"

Moxie chuckled, looking back up at the stars. "You already got new knives. What more could you need?"

The younger twin beamed. She looked back down on the knives on her belt. "Good point."

==TSDUNM==

Moxie and Doxie helped the young budding couple off to see the lanterns. It was a lovely ceremony. Less lovely was the bit where the guards arrested the twins and Flynn Rider for various crimes including:

Flynn Rider: multiple charges of theft.

Moxie and Doxie: one charge aiding and abetting. One charge of theft of property. Stolen was one tavern known as _The Snuggly Duckling._ One charge aggravated assault: the original owner of the _Snuggly Duckling_, found beaten to near death in the backroom of said tavern.

Yeah, that was a fun thing to explain to Flynn.

Doxie hadn't stopped snickering, not even when Moxie whacked her on the head so often she nearly got a second charge of assault.

All the charges were cleared when they returned Rapunzel to her rightful family. That was a nice touch. Without a single dead body!

Well except Mother Gothel.

She didn't count- everyone knows that!

And it took a long time...but eventually...in another world, another reality, Moxie's dream came true.

Doxie's dream, though? She eventually got that too.

**==TSDUNM==**

**AN: For those confused- sorry! This was just an excuse to give my OCs a nice day. I beat them up so much...**

**I like imagining Morgan/Moxie as just that woman that everyone in town knows as the 'Mama ##'. You know, where they go whenever they have problems/need a place to crash for the night? Whenever I see her happy, she's helping someone else. Her making a shelter for people...just makes sense, to me.**

**As for Darcy- any place where she's given free reign is her dream. Someday I'll write those stories...and yes they will be terrifying in thought **_**and **_**practice!**


End file.
